TN urges white category classification for coir industry

CHENNAI: State Environment and Climate Change Minister Siva V Meyyanathan has urged Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to retain the white category classification for the coir industry to help coconut farmers.

In a representation handed over to the Union Minister on Tuesday, it was pointed out that around 4.44 lakh hectares of coconut cultivation is going on in Tamil Nadu with a production capacity of 11,526 pods per hectare.

The coir industry is involved in the production of various products from coconut, including coconut fiber, Coir pith in various forms, Coir yarn, Curled coir rope, Coir Geo Textiles, Coir tufted mats, and Gardening materials like coir pots and coir hanging baskets.

"If the coir industry is converted back to the orange category, there will be risks such as a change in power load requirements and need for higher investment due to construction of concrete floors, eventually leading to fall in farmers' income," the representation said.

It added that no chemicals are usually used in the manufacturing process and the water used to soak the coir is recycled, and so no industrial effluents are discharged. Coir fiber and coir pith are dried in the yard with the help of natural sunlight, and as a measure to control air pollution, the drying yard is surrounded by a compound wall with netting.

"Therefore, Coir Production (dry process or wet process) and production of all coir products in cases where no chemical process and dyeing process is used must be classified as white category, as against the proposed Orange category in the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) draft classification notification for industries issued in July 2023," the representation urged.

It may be noted that Meyyanathan held a meeting with coir industry representatives on August 8 to discuss continuing the coir industry as white category in Tamil Nadu by appealing against the draft classification notification.